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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23228161">Where our shields lay shattered</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heleentje/pseuds/Heleentje'>Heleentje</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Because Revali really should have defeated Windblight, Gen, On the strategic importance of not blindly trusting ancient technology Rhoam, Other characters mentioned - Freeform, Revalink If You Squint</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:07:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,585</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23228161</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heleentje/pseuds/Heleentje</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Maybe Revali could have lived. Maybe, if they hadn't strayed so far from their Divine Beasts. Maybe, if he hadn't had to cross a malice-infested Hyrule to get back.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Where our shields lay shattered</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsukiwake/gifts">Tsukiwake</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Me: Ugh, Waterblight. If this is all Mipha had on her, no wonder she died.<br/>Tsukiwake: Windblight is so nice, I'll refight Windblight sometime.<br/>Me: At least Revali came with some weapons. Mipha 'I brought 10 arrows'.<br/>Tsukiwake: IKR HE'S SO NICE<br/>Me: ... So then why did he die?</p><p>Or: the realization that the Great Eagle Bow is missing in the dlc fight.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There are other routes, safer ones. Routes that would bring him to Medoh without braving the destruction that Calamity Ganon wrought upon Hyrule. He could cross through the Dueling Peaks. He could fly past the Gerudo Highlands, keeping the Great Plateau as a shield between him and Ganon’s malice. He could even, should he want to court that particular danger, use the updrafts of Death Mountain to aim him straight home.</p><p>Revali does none of those things. </p><p>Surely there was no reason for all of them to venture so far away from their Divine Beasts. Surely the princess’ champion is competent enough to shield her from any danger they might encounter. If he cannot even face a Moblin, then what hope does he have defeating Ganon? Their journey was time wasted and now they are paying the price for it. The trek to Medoh is already long and arduous. Revali has no time for detours. The fastest way from Lanayru to Rito Village has always been a straight line across Hyrule Field.</p><p>The Guardians in the Lanayru Wetlands are moving erratically. Something tugs at him, an unease beyond the worry caused by Calamity Ganon, but he has no time to land and take a closer look. He can only hope they will fulfill their duty of protecting Goponga Village. </p><p>Hyrule Field is already looming in the distance, a flat plain devoid of hills or updrafts. He is losing height; he will need to land there so he can take to the sky again. He could… His feathers are itching, his claws tightening around his bow. It will take <em> hours </em>before the princess and her knight get here. No one would blame him. He will have the skies on his side and the Guardians at his back and any moment now, Mipha will launch her attack.</p><p>(Shouldn’t she have already?)</p><p>He has hundreds of arrows on him, regular arrows and bomb arrows and elemental arrows of all kinds. He could do it.</p><p>In his descent, the destruction caused by Calamity Ganon becomes clearer, the castle already in ruins. Revali swallows. There was never any hope for those caught in the castle; he’d known that the moment he flew up to witness Calamity Ganon’s return. But seeing it up close is a horror all of its own and he is profoundly grateful Ganon didn’t choose Rito Village to emerge. The waves of malice spread across the field. The Guardians are everywhere, moving with purpose. Not towards the castle. </p><p>Revali frowns. Are they heading out to protect Hyrule? The Guardians were the Sheikah’s little project. He doesn’t know how they were programmed, only that a few were sent to the Hylian villages to protect them. Does Mabe Village need added protection?</p><p>He tears his eyes away from the ruined castle and towards the village. And it is then, as he swerves towards Mabe Village, that the full horror of Ganon’s attack hits him. The Guardians are not protecting the village. They’re <em> destroying </em>it. </p><p>His bow is in his hands within moments; a second later three fire arrows find the eye of the nearest Guardian. It stuns the machine but it’s not enough. It takes six more arrows before it goes down. Not enough, not nearly enough. There are so <em> many </em> of them. He exhausts his fire arrows and switches to ice arrows and still the Guardians keep coming, spidery legs far faster than the Hylians can run. It’s already far too late for this village. The Guardians have had <em> hours </em> to rampage.</p><p>He has to land, the updrafts created by the burning village far too unpredictable. A rooftop offers some protection from the fire. He wasn’t the first with that idea. A woman, a Hylian, lies there, body curled around a tiny dark-haired child, their skin burned and flaking. Revali swallows down bile.</p><p>“Hylia preserve them,” he mutters, tearing his eyes away. He can’t stay here for long. He casts his eyes around for more Guardians. They are everywhere, swarming Hyrule Field and stretching out far beyond. Smoke rises from the Garrison. There will be no army to protect them. They miscalculated. All their carefully crafted defenses were for naught, the ancient technology usurped by Ganon. These Guardians, of the same make as their Beasts—</p><p>
  <em> Where’s Mipha? </em>
</p><p>They are so slow, those land-bound. Vah Ruta was close but she must not have reached it yet. </p><p>Another Guardian, more screams. Revali fires, again and again, his arrows barely slowing it down. His arrow stock is depleting rapidly. He can’t keep this up. They never learned how to fight these things and why would they have? His heart is beating in his throat, the sight of these monstrosities setting his nerves alight.</p><p>He only gets a second’s warning, beeping suddenly in duplicate when another Guardian finds him. The wind rises under his wings but panic makes him sloppy. The double impact shatters the building beneath him and throws him off course, the Guardian’s bright-blue eye burned into his mind. </p><p>Wood splinters when he crashes to the ground. He lies dazed, claws still miraculously around his bow. He landed in an alley out of sight. The screams have stopped. He hopes that means the villagers escaped. He knows they didn’t. </p><p>Everything aches but he has to get up. He struggles upright. His bow is— His bow…</p><p>It’s still in one piece but only barely. The wood down the middle is cracked. It will shatter the moment he draws the string. With stinging eyes, he swaps out his bow for a Falcon Bow. He can’t stay any longer. He takes pride in his skills but he is no fool. A Falcon Bow will never accomplish what his Great Eagle Bow only barely could.</p><p>Mabe Village burns. Revali closes his eyes and gathers the wind under his wings, shooting up and out of range of the Guardians taking aim. Nothing can be done now, not when he’s already bruised and sore and missing his best weapon. The castle will not send reinforcements. All he can do is get to Medoh and hope that Link’s sword will be enough. </p><p>He does not need to land again until he is already in Tabantha with Rito Village in sight. The village is still standing, thank Hylia. The bridges have been cut. Revali nods approvingly. They are not as trapped as another people might be. They can always fly. </p><p>A short burst of wind lands him on the highest part of Rito Village. The elder rises from his chair when he touches down.</p><p>“Revali,” he calls. “It is true, then? Ganon has risen?”</p><p>Revali nods. “The Guardians have turned against us. The villages of the Hylians are in ruins.”</p><p>The elder sighs deeply. “Indeed. We witnessed the destruction of Tabantha Village. There was nothing we could do.”</p><p>He doesn’t say it but Revali knows what he’s thinking: the Hylians, with their villages in the wide-open plains, brought on their own demise. He thrusts out his broken Great Eagle Bow. </p><p>“Please have my bow repaired. As soon as Vah Medoh is in position, I will join the fight at Hyrule Castle.”</p><p>The elder takes the bow with shaking hands. “Hylia be with you, Revali. Do us proud.”</p><p>This does not warrant a reply. Revali takes off over the village and up to where Medoh looms. The cold air buffets him and Medoh's stare is menacing from this close. Revali shivers. This is it. Link and the princess will take on the Calamity soon. Right now, all he can do is support them.</p><p>It still rankles but even he knows his limits. He will join the fray soon enough.</p><p>He got to know Medoh through long days and sleepless nights. Their connection was immediate, both creatures of the sky, but actually piloting the Divine Beast took time. He feels certain now that he knows Medoh. Its moods reflect his own and he is raring to go.</p><p>And so he is wholly unprepared for the <em> anguish </em>that crashes down on him. He is struck breathless. Something is wrong, more wrong than even the Guardians turning against them.</p><p>“Medoh, what is it?” he asks and in response, one of the smaller terminals lights up. Communications.</p><p><em> Ruta. </em>Revali runs to the terminal.</p><p>“Mipha, can you hear me?”</p><p>Nothing. Revali slams a hand on the console.</p><p>“Mipha, come in, can you hear me?!”</p><p>Silence. An awful silence that fills his head with fog. Medoh’s distress, the long hours that passed without any attack from Vah Ruta.</p><p>
  <em>She’s gone.</em>
</p><p>The reality of it threatens to overtake him. Mipha, gentle Mipha who wielded her trident with a deadly grace any Rito would envy, is gone. Vah Ruta is lost to them, already fallen before it could even begin its fight. And Revali…</p><p>Revali is <em> furious.  </em></p><p>“Come on,” he mutters, marching over to the main terminal. He will take down Ganon even if he has to personally land Medoh on top of its ugly head. He will kill that blasted demon and ensure it never sees the light of day again. </p><p>Medoh lets out a shrill cry of warning when he touches the main console, a desperate sound that resonates deep within his bones. The console erupts in malice and Revali jumps back, heart hammering. What—?</p><p>The malice consolidates. A horrible mockery takes shape, gusts of wind forcing Revali back until he can get his bearings. So this is what killed Mipha. He jumps up and catches an updraft, rising high above the abomination that dared to corrupt Medoh. </p><p>“So you think you can defeat me?” he shouts. The abomination that blighted Medoh screeches, mindless. It’s merely a phantom with no mind of its own. It has nothing going for it. And Revali will always have the wind. </p><p>The Falcon Bow is uncomfortably light in his hands but it will have to do. The Guardians may have cost him plenty of his arrows, but he still has more than enough to deal with this beast. He nocks an arrow and shoots, already releasing the second one before the first one has found its target. A third one bores into the blight’s eye moments after and the abomination goes down. Revali doesn’t — the air is his domain and no ugly monster will take that from him. His bomb arrow strikes true. The monster lies dazed.</p><p>There is no challenge to this fight. If Ganon is anything like this offshoot, Link will defeat him with ease. Perhaps, when all of this is over and they’ve mourned their dead, he will finally get the fight Link promised him — the challenge issued when he presented the paraglider and accepted when Link took it with steady hands and bright eyes. </p><p>Revali lands three more arrows in the Blight’s eye before it recovers and takes to the air. Revali watches it with narrowed eyes, switching his bow to his claws so his wings are free. It screeches and the wind whips up into a whirlwind Revali has to dodge.</p><p>There are no whirlwinds in the mountains. Even during his travels as a champion he has never encountered one, but he has heard of them. They are common on the seas near Lurelin Village. The Blight’s tornado stretches too high to cross without getting caught. Revali dives low instead, dodging and swerving around until he has a clear shot at the monster. He takes aim but the buffeting winds throw him straight into the path of the Blight. Time slows — Revali folds his wings and drops as the monster’s blaster fires. </p><p>Searing pain as he crashes to the ground, right leg on fire. It got him. Revali rolls away from a new blast and fires his bow on instinct. It hits nowhere near the blight’s eye but it’s enough to distract it. Revali forces himself past the pain and flies up again, high above the Blight. The wound is thankfully clean, already cauterized by the Blight’s weapon. </p><p>“So you can provide a challenge after all,” he sneers. The Blight doesn’t reply. It doesn’t even give any indication that it understood him. He viscerally misses Link, even though they only parted ways half a day ago. Link never replied to his taunts either, never even talked to anyone. But Revali can imagine the crinkling of his eyes such a taunt would bring about, the barely concealed smirk threatening to break through. Nothing like this mindless creature of malice. There is another side to Link hidden behind the stoic mask and one day Revali will bring it out.</p><p>It is with that in mind that Revali switches to the precious few bomb arrows he has remaining. Once he’s put down this abomination, he will warn Urbosa and Daruk. He will steer Medoh to the castle and avenge Mipha. Because how dare it. How dare it take over their line of defense and attack the innocent people of Hyrule. How dare it infiltrate the Divine Beasts. How dare it <em> kill </em> one of them. </p><p>The bomb arrow strikes true and the Blight whizzes out of the way erratically. Revali follows up with a second arrow but it goes wild, caught by the wind. He swears. He doesn’t have enough arrows to afford missing. His right leg is throbbing. The Blight rises up above him, gusts throwing him around until he is forced to land, his leg buckling dangerously under the weight. </p><p>His Falcon Bow is on its last legs. He contemplates the other bows he has. None of them are of Rito make. Of course he can shoot with any bow handed to him, but he will always prefer those he grew up with. The lack of his Great Eagle Bow is a wound almost as debilitating as the one in his leg. </p><p>Exhaustion is creeping in and he cannot afford it. He ignores the gales the Blight is creating and instead focuses on his own, the wind rising under his wings at his command and lifting him into the sky. Not a second too soon — the Blight has a new trick: strange podlike drones that circle it. Revali fires an arrow at one to no effect. </p><p>Another shot, another bullseye, but before he can nock another arrow the drones synchronize, throwing out blasts that Revali is too late to dodge. He crashes onto Medoh’s stone back and lies dazed, wings sticky with blood.</p><p>
  <em> Get up, come on.  </em>
</p><p>He won’t lose. Not to this perversion of nature. The drones blast the stone around him. Revali rolls out of the way but lands painfully on his leg.</p><p>
  <em> Come on, come on! </em>
</p><p>The duplex bow. He fires from the ground, arrows hitting the arms and body of the creature. He needs to be in the air. This is <em> his </em>Gale, his domain! He can’t let this abomination beat him! There is too much to do still, too much to accomplish. </p><p>The wind gathers as he struggles upright. Revali rises, head held up. But then the Blight is there, blue eye exactly like the Guardians in Mabe Village, red beam finding its target in the middle of his chest. </p><p>And the Gale he spent years perfecting is lost to him, swept away by the all-encompassing panic. The wind slips out of his grasp and tears him out of the sky. He turns in mid-air, tries to regain his balance but comes face to face with the Blight’s bright blue eye instead. And the eye burns. And it burns through him. And all Revali sees, mind burning away, is unforgiving ground. </p>
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